I’ve just signed up to go in the Melbourne Bioblitz a survey over one week of all non-human lifeforms in the “City of Melbourne”.

BioBlitz 2014

Take part in Melbourne BioBlitz. Your participation will help us develop the city’s first ever Urban Ecology Strategy.

The goal is to find, photograph and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi and other organisms as possible in the city. You might even discover a new species! By taking part and submitting your sightings you can win prizes including an iPad, Digital SLR and an Explorers Pack. Prize details here.

There are two ways to get involved:

1. Become a citizen scientist and carry out an independent BioBlitz at any time by following the BioBlitz toolkit or
2. Join one of our expert-led BioBlitz events.

After your BioBlitz you can submit your sightings in three ways:

1. Use the form in the link above
2. Tag your sighting #bioblitzmelb on Twitter and Instagram (don’t forget your location!)
3. Use the BowerBird website

Melbourne BioBlitz runs from 31 October to 15 November 2014.

BioBlitz is a partnership between the City of Melbourne, Museum Victoria, RMIT, Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, the University of Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Zoo and Parks Victoria.

Expert sponsored events are:

FITZROY GARDENS
BioBlitz Launch
Friday 31 October. 9.30am – 10am: Fitzroy Gardens. Meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
Join us to celebrate the launch of the City of Melbourne’s first BioBlitz. We will hear from City of Melbourne Councillor and RMIT lecturer, Dr Cathy Oke and the Head of Sciences at Museums Victoria, Dr Mark Norman. Join us for breakfast following the launch and stay to attend a biodiversity walk (from 10am onwards) and submit your species findings to Twitter, Instagram or Bowerbird.

Fitzroy Gardens BioBlitz Discovery
Friday 31 October, 10am to 3pm: Fitzroy Gardens, meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
Join us on a walking tour and discover the resident wildlife, such as reptiles, bugs, bees, and butterflies. These surveys will all be led by a range of fauna experts from Museum Victoria, The Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and RMIT. Jump on a tour leaving on the hour, every hour.

BatBlitz
Friday 31 October 9pm to 11pm: Fitzroy Gardens, meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
Discover the different bat species living in Fitzroy Gardens. During these surveys, experts will use traps and recording devices to identify the different types of bats in the Park.

Nocturnal Insect BioBlitz
Friday 31 October 9pm to 11pm: Fitzroy Gardens, meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
The darkest late-night biodiversity you’ll experience in the city! Get up close and personal with the nocturnal insects of Fitzroy Gardens. During these surveys, experts will use lights, traps and nets to identify the insects inhabiting the gardens.

Friday 14 November
FITZROY GARDENS
Dawn Bird Chorus
Friday 14 November, 7 to 9am: Fitzroy Gardens, meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
Start the day with a walking bird survey of Fitzroy Gardens, experience the dawn bird chorus and hear from leading experts on the variety of beautiful birds that visit our parks.

Fitzroy Gardens BioBlitz
Friday 14 November 10am to 3pm: Fitzroy Gardens, meet at Sinclair’s Cottage
Join us on a walking tour and discover the resident wildlife, such as bugs, bees and butterflies. These surveys will all be led by a range of fauna experts from Museum Victoria, RMIT and The University of Melbourne. Tours will leave on the hour, every hour until 3pm.

ROYAL PARK
Nocturnal BatBlitz & Insect BioBlitz
Friday 14 November, 9pm to 11pm: Royal Park, meet at Walmsley House on Gatehouse Road
Discover the different bat species living in Royal Park. During these surveys, experts will use traps and recording devices to identify the different types of bats. Alternatively you can get up close and personal with the nocturnal insects of Royal Park. During these surveys, experts will use lights, traps and nets to identify the insects flying through the park.

Saturday 15 November
ROYAL PARK
Dawn bird chorus
Saturday 15 November, 7 to 9am: Royal Park, meet at Walmsley House, Gatehouse Road
Start the day with an exhilarating walking bird survey of Royal Park. Experience the dawn bird chorus and hear from leading experts on the variety of beautiful birds that visit this park – you’ll be surprised and delighted!

Royal Park BioBlitz
Saturday 15 November, 10am to 3pm: Royal Park, meet at Ross Straw Pavilion near Manningham Street entrance, Royal Park West
Come along to enjoy a walking BioBlitz of Royal Park and learn about conducting flora surveys from a range of flora experts or discover the resident wildlife including bugs, bees and butterflies. Tours leave on the hour, every hour.

WESTGATE PARK
Dawn bird chorus
Saturday 15 November, 7am to 9am: Westgate Park, meet at car park off Todd Road, opposite Cook Street
Start the day with a walking bird survey of Westgate Park, experience the intense and beautiful dawn bird chorus. You will learn from leading experts about the variety of beautiful birds in this park.

Westgate Park BioBlitz
Saturday 15 November, 10am to 3:30pm: Westgate Park, meet at car park off Todd Road, opposite Cook Street
Join us on one of eight walking tours and discover the resident wildlife, such as reptiles, bugs, bees, and butterflies. These surveys will all be led by a range of fauna experts from Museum Victoria. Survey tours leave at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, and 2:30pm.

Associated with the Bowerbird website.

Has anyone here advice on photographing weeds / invertebrates / fungi?

Nothing I can do about the camera at this stage. It’s a video camera, to be used in photo mode, and has awful resolution but quite good close-up – which is limited only by the camera getting so close that it obscures the lighting. No tripod.

eg. How to separate a weed from its surroundings?
How to get ants, spiders and other invertebrates to stay still for the photograph?
Should I print a neutral grey or green background to bring out natural colours?

mollwollfumble said:

Associated with the Bowerbird website.

Has anyone here advice on photographing weeds / invertebrates / fungi?

Nothing I can do about the camera at this stage. It’s a video camera, to be used in photo mode, and has awful resolution but quite good close-up – which is limited only by the camera getting so close that it obscures the lighting. No tripod.

eg. How to separate a weed from its surroundings?
How to get ants, spiders and other invertebrates to stay still for the photograph?
Should I print a neutral grey or green background to bring out natural colours?

Almost sounds like you should get someone else to take the photos. Yes, it will be useful to take along some sheets of neutral colours and clear ones too as well some that can reflect light. ie: Some will be backgrounds, some will be windshields some will be there to reflect light and the windshields may be preferable to be clear. Take along a measuring stick to stick in the photo for size perspective.You’ve seen them, black and white with same size graduations. Take along a light source should you need one. Carry something o kneel on. Short of taking a refrigerator to slow the invertebrates down, do it early in the morning before things get a move on with sol. A payoff here as you will need the light to be as good as you can for the shots. A point and shoot still camera can be useful, can’t you borrow or hire one?

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

Associated with the Bowerbird website.

Has anyone here advice on photographing weeds / invertebrates / fungi?

Nothing I can do about the camera at this stage. It’s a video camera, to be used in photo mode, and has awful resolution but quite good close-up – which is limited only by the camera getting so close that it obscures the lighting. No tripod.

eg. How to separate a weed from its surroundings?
How to get ants, spiders and other invertebrates to stay still for the photograph?
Should I print a neutral grey or green background to bring out natural colours?

Almost sounds like you should get someone else to take the photos. Yes, it will be useful to take along some sheets of neutral colours and clear ones too as well some that can reflect light. ie: Some will be backgrounds, some will be windshields some will be there to reflect light and the windshields may be preferable to be clear. Take along a measuring stick to stick in the photo for size perspective.You’ve seen them, black and white with same size graduations. Take along a light source should you need one. Carry something o kneel on. Short of taking a refrigerator to slow the invertebrates down, do it early in the morning before things get a move on with sol. A payoff here as you will need the light to be as good as you can for the shots. A point and shoot still camera can be useful, can’t you borrow or hire one?

I’ve decided to set a target of seeing 1000 species before the end of the bioblitz, if I exceed that then 2000 species. And try to photograph at least 200. And this time I won’t cheat by counting fish species in pet shops, bird species in aviaries, plant species in nurseries, and butterfly species in the zoo’s butterfly house.

Some brilliant advice there. Will take it: background, windshield, measuring stick, light source, kneeler.

Any advice on best quick invertebrate identifying chart? Or weed ID?

There will be other people there taking photographs much of the time. I’m a bit worried that there’ll be so many people that they’ll trample the wildlife to bits.

I have two point and shoot cameras, but as neither will focus shorter than 0.8 metres (need a macro for this) and both have poor optics, I won’t be using them, and I doubt if either I or the invertebrates have the patience for me to set up a macro shot on an unfamiliar camera. The video camera focuses as close as I can take it, about 5 mm before the frame of the lens shuts out all ambient light.

I read recently about a thing called a “home made pooter” where you suck small invertebrates into a jar using your breath. That may help to slow them down, I could cool them down after catching them. I may also still have my home-made plankton net somewhere, if so perhaps I can adapt it into a butterfly net to sweep across grass and leaves. I have access to a few sieves, I wonder if they would be a help for things that live in soil?

mollwollfumble said:

There will be other people there taking photographs much of the time. I’m a bit worried that there’ll be so many people that they’ll trample the wildlife to bits.

The above is a serious issue, yes.

If you can’t borrow a tripod, use a shooters bean bag to rest camera on or a drop chain. ie: fasten light chain to camera, drop it and stand on it, pull chain tight.

http://www.weeds.org.au/WoNS/

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeds/lists/

http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecuritysa/nrm_biosecurity/weeds/weeds_of_national_significance

You can buy an inexpensive viewing box which magnifies insects placed inside it. if you can manage it, this can be used to photograph the insects.

Shutting out light with the lens is a common problem in macro work. Many insect photos are done in the lab with artificial lighting and micro-photographic set-ups.

Things that live in the soil are likely to be generally so microscopic that they’ll need an electron microscope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_introduced_species

I’ve been attempting to do hand held macro work since 1971 via many and various ways and means. You’d think I could by now get a spider or web to sit still in the breeze while my body moves

This was taken in 1971 on a cold winters morning.
!http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/jonosterman/onfence.jpg!.

These, the other day.

.

roughbarked said:

I’ve been attempting to do hand held macro work since 1971 via many and various ways and means. You’d think I could by now get a spider or web to sit still in the breeze while my body moves

This was taken in 1971 on a cold winters morning.

These, the other day.

try again.

> If you can’t borrow a tripod, use a shooters bean bag to rest camera on or a drop chain. ie: fasten light chain to camera, drop it and stand on it, pull chain tight.

One trick I’ve been taught, and this might be the time to try it out, is to occy-strap my elbows to my sides to get a more stable camera hold.

Am starting to look through those ID lists.

I bagged some tourists and coffee drinkers today

wookiemeister said:

I bagged some tourists and coffee drinkers today

Isn’t it time you let them out of the bags? Surely it is inhumane to keep them in overnight.

Here’s a good weed ID website.

http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl

Annoyingly, good Australian invertebrate guides are hard to get, couldn’t get any off the web or in libraries I have access to. Would like these two books:

“Terrestrial Invertebrate status review Brisbane City”, 2005.
and
“Worms to wasps : an illustrated guide to Australia’s terrestrial invertebrates”, 1989.

Perhaps I should have mentioned, I already have “Melbourne’s wildlife, a field guide to the fauna of greater Melbourne”. That should be a big help, and is beautifully illustrated, though it does tend to concentrate on the spectacular rather than the common.

mollwollfumble said:

Here’s a good weed ID website.

http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl

Annoyingly, good Australian invertebrate guides are hard to get, couldn’t get any off the web or in libraries I have access to. Would like these two books:

“Terrestrial Invertebrate status review Brisbane City”, 2005.
and
“Worms to wasps : an illustrated guide to Australia’s terrestrial invertebrates”, 1989.

Perhaps I should have mentioned, I already have “Melbourne’s wildlife, a field guide to the fauna of greater Melbourne”. That should be a big help, and is beautifully illustrated, though it does tend to concentrate on the spectacular rather than the common.

Reading to the bottom of the page I see a link to an old mate of mine from back home.

The prices of microscopes have now dropped to $27. Have just bought one. Should be good for ID of small invertebrates.

Even a year or so ago the cheapest microscopes were sitting at $55 to $100, and the cheapest then weren’t worth buying.

Over two days I’ve taken 70 photos from around my house using stills from the video camera. Here are three typical ones. Not great, but not too shabby:

The roll of carbon fibre in the above is 7 mm diameter, I can get better enlargement than that with the video camera, but the spider was moving too fast.

mollwollfumble said:

The prices of microscopes have now dropped to $27. Have just bought one. Should be good for ID of small invertebrates.

Even a year or so ago the cheapest microscopes were sitting at $55 to $100, and the cheapest then weren’t worth buying.

Over two days I’ve taken 70 photos from around my house using stills from the video camera. Here are three typical ones. Not great, but not too shabby:

The roll of carbon fibre in the above is 7 mm diameter, I can get better enlargement than that with the video camera, but the spider was moving too fast.

Don’t know your spider but the other two are introduced pests.

I would probably not be calling your spider a spider but perhaps more a spider mite?

> Spider mite.

It looks so in the image, but by eye I would have picked it as one of the many types of colloquially named “money spiders”.

> Don’t know your spider but the other two are introduced pests.

Yes, well spotted (and striped). Many of my favourite animals and plants are introduced pests.

Just walked to my screen door an got images of more than six different species of insect that had arrived overnight.

Yes, money spider gets the dollars.

mollwollfumble said:

> Spider mite.

It looks so in the image, but by eye I would have picked it as one of the many types of colloquially named “money spiders”.

> Don’t know your spider but the other two are introduced pests.

Yes, well spotted (and striped). Many of my favourite animals and plants are introduced pests.

No, you’re right, spider mite it is.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

> Spider mite.

It looks so in the image, but by eye I would have picked it as one of the many types of colloquially named “money spiders”.

> Don’t know your spider but the other two are introduced pests.

Yes, well spotted (and striped). Many of my favourite animals and plants are introduced pests.

No, you’re right, spider mite it is.

so it seems money didn’t make cents? ;)

Still practising by taking photographs. Far too many photographs have been given the title “weed”, “garden plant” and “insect”. Am finding a surprising number of identifiable little spider species – and a cute tiny beetle with four spots – it’s nice when little arthropods freeze in place as the camera approaches.

Am tempted to make up a checklist for when I start the real bioblitz.

My plankton net has vanished, perhaps I need to make up another, the first was made from a pair of panyhose (one leg sewn off), a plastic loop that used to hold a nylon sieve, and a plastic vegemite jar.

While typing this I happened to spot and catch a jumping spider on a DVD case. A medicine cup and credit card worked admirably as a trap.

mollwollfumble said:

Still practising by taking photographs. Far too many photographs have been given the title “weed”, “garden plant” and “insect”. Am finding a surprising number of identifiable little spider species – and a cute tiny beetle with four spots – it’s nice when little arthropods freeze in place as the camera approaches.

Am tempted to make up a checklist for when I start the real bioblitz.

My plankton net has vanished, perhaps I need to make up another, the first was made from a pair of panyhose (one leg sewn off), a plastic loop that used to hold a nylon sieve, and a plastic vegemite jar.

While typing this I happened to spot and catch a jumping spider on a DVD case. A medicine cup and credit card worked admirably as a trap.

Trouble with jumping spiders is that they tend to jump onto either the hand holding the camera or the camera lens itself.
Four spots sounds like one of the ladybirds.

Mites, maybe you need to spray your vege patch with milk.

roughbarked said:

Trouble with jumping spiders is that they tend to jump onto either the hand holding the camera or the camera lens itself.
Four spots sounds like one of the ladybirds. Mites, maybe you need to spray your vege patch with milk.

Jumping spiders are much easier to photograph than many other species, such as ants.
Not a ladybird, but not yet ID’d.
The spider-mite turned up inside my garage on the workbench.

—————————————

More than half way through the Melbourne Bioblitz. In the exact opposite of what the organisers intended, it’s turning me away from science and towards geography and politics. I’m beginning to have reservations about that way that the Melbourne City Council will use the project, as well as what it has already done.

First concern. Two areas marked on the maps as parkland have recently been destroyed. The area of Westgate Park under the Westgate Bridge has recently been bulldozed – total annihilation. Second, the area of Docklands adjacent to Moonie Ponds Creek has been sealed off as a construction site – no doubt to be destroyed in the near future.

Second concern. Widespread spraying of herbicide and, to a lesser extent, insecticide. Massive areas of Port Melbourne, and massive areas of West Melbourne, west of the Bolte Bridge and south of perhaps Dynon Rd (I haven’t checked the last yet) have literally nothing, just bare Earth, no grass, no weeds, no insects, and in 50% of cases no buildings either. One of these ‘total annihilation’ regions measures 800 by 400 metres, another 550 by 300 metres, etc. During a three hour search of one industrial estate, I saw not even one insect or other invertebrate and not even one plant.

Third concern. What is the Melbourne Council going to do with the information from the Bioblitz? There are two terrible ways it could misuse the information. One misuse is to claim that because all these species are present there are no environmental concerns, so there is no need for any protection. The second misuse would be to see all the introduced species, weeds and insects, as pests to be eradicated by gardening – that would be awful, in the biodiverse parts of the area the native species rely on introduced species for food and protection.

Fourth concern is that I have come to hate the Elm. Melbourne boasts that when Dutch Elm Disease destroyed Elms elsewhere, Melbourne’s Elms were unaffected. I wish there were all destroyed. The Elm is by far the dominant species, by mass, in the area of the Melbourne Council. If you added up the mass of all the grass in the area then even that wouldn’t equal the mass of the Elms. Even worse, to keep down the numbers of Elm Leaf Beetle the council has embarked on massive sprayings of insecticide along all Elm-lined streets and parks. No insect life survives on or near near the Elms, I call it an ‘Elm Desert’. On top of that, Elm seedlings are growing up everywhere through the grass. In a nutshell, the spraying to protect against Elm Leaf Beetle remains an ecological catastrophe.

Fifth concern. How and what to protect. My most obvious successes have been the observation of Clamorous Reed Warbler, White-throated Honeyeater and Chestnut Teal together in the grounds of a Mental hospital, and the observation of Goldfinch, New Holland Honeyeater and Blue Wren together in a tiny (20 square metre) patch of vegetation by the road adjacent to the biggest ‘total annihilation’ region. Both areas have unusual plants as well. Both areas are under extreme threat, an avid gardener could and would destroy both in a very short time. Both need to be immediately put under a “no insecticide” and “no gardening” ban. Many other places need “no insecticide” bans. I’m quite concerned that that won’t happen.

On a positive side, if the Elm is seen as Melbourne’s worst plant species, Melbourne’s four best plant species are Eucalypts, Ivy, Grevillia and Daisy-like plants. I know that two of these are introduced, but they are all a haven for native and introduced insects and spiders. Dog urine should also be seen as a biodiversity plus.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

Trouble with jumping spiders is that they tend to jump onto either the hand holding the camera or the camera lens itself.
Four spots sounds like one of the ladybirds. Mites, maybe you need to spray your vege patch with milk.

Jumping spiders are much easier to photograph than many other species, such as ants.
Not a ladybird, but not yet ID’d.
The spider-mite turned up inside my garage on the workbench.

—————————————

More than half way through the Melbourne Bioblitz. In the exact opposite of what the organisers intended, it’s turning me away from science and towards geography and politics. I’m beginning to have reservations about that way that the Melbourne City Council will use the project, as well as what it has already done.

First concern. Two areas marked on the maps as parkland have recently been destroyed. The area of Westgate Park under the Westgate Bridge has recently been bulldozed – total annihilation. Second, the area of Docklands adjacent to Moonie Ponds Creek has been sealed off as a construction site – no doubt to be destroyed in the near future.

Second concern. Widespread spraying of herbicide and, to a lesser extent, insecticide. Massive areas of Port Melbourne, and massive areas of West Melbourne, west of the Bolte Bridge and south of perhaps Dynon Rd (I haven’t checked the last yet) have literally nothing, just bare Earth, no grass, no weeds, no insects, and in 50% of cases no buildings either. One of these ‘total annihilation’ regions measures 800 by 400 metres, another 550 by 300 metres, etc. During a three hour search of one industrial estate, I saw not even one insect or other invertebrate and not even one plant.

Third concern. What is the Melbourne Council going to do with the information from the Bioblitz? There are two terrible ways it could misuse the information. One misuse is to claim that because all these species are present there are no environmental concerns, so there is no need for any protection. The second misuse would be to see all the introduced species, weeds and insects, as pests to be eradicated by gardening – that would be awful, in the biodiverse parts of the area the native species rely on introduced species for food and protection.

Fourth concern is that I have come to hate the Elm. Melbourne boasts that when Dutch Elm Disease destroyed Elms elsewhere, Melbourne’s Elms were unaffected. I wish there were all destroyed. The Elm is by far the dominant species, by mass, in the area of the Melbourne Council. If you added up the mass of all the grass in the area then even that wouldn’t equal the mass of the Elms. Even worse, to keep down the numbers of Elm Leaf Beetle the council has embarked on massive sprayings of insecticide along all Elm-lined streets and parks. No insect life survives on or near near the Elms, I call it an ‘Elm Desert’. On top of that, Elm seedlings are growing up everywhere through the grass. In a nutshell, the spraying to protect against Elm Leaf Beetle remains an ecological catastrophe.

Fifth concern. How and what to protect. My most obvious successes have been the observation of Clamorous Reed Warbler, White-throated Honeyeater and Chestnut Teal together in the grounds of a Mental hospital, and the observation of Goldfinch, New Holland Honeyeater and Blue Wren together in a tiny (20 square metre) patch of vegetation by the road adjacent to the biggest ‘total annihilation’ region. Both areas have unusual plants as well. Both areas are under extreme threat, an avid gardener could and would destroy both in a very short time. Both need to be immediately put under a “no insecticide” and “no gardening” ban. Many other places need “no insecticide” bans. I’m quite concerned that that won’t happen.

On a positive side, if the Elm is seen as Melbourne’s worst plant species, Melbourne’s four best plant species are Eucalypts, Ivy, Grevillia and Daisy-like plants. I know that two of these are introduced, but they are all a haven for native and introduced insects and spiders. Dog urine should also be seen as a biodiversity plus.

I wish I could say it was only Melbourne so affected, but from my observations that destruction goes on everywhere. It is not just the lack of training of the people doing the work, but it is also the people who plan and direct them. Apparently, spraying a few weeds in the garden and looking after a couple of fruit trees qualifies you to wreck havoc in large interconnected environments.

Also giving people large earthmoving machines that can move thousands of tons of soil a day means they can destroy so much more, so effortlessly and in such little time.

Thirdly, it is the attitude of people where things in the way are just rubbish and so there is little interest or concern for the flora and fauna that call this place home. In other words they/we simply don’t care.

PermeateFree said:

I wish I could say it was only Melbourne so affected, but from my observations that destruction goes on everywhere. It is not just the lack of training of the people doing the work, but it is also the people who plan and direct them. Apparently, spraying a few weeds in the garden and looking after a couple of fruit trees qualifies you to wreck havoc in large interconnected environments.

Also giving people large earthmoving machines that can move thousands of tons of soil a day means they can destroy so much more, so effortlessly and in such little time.

Thirdly, it is the attitude of people where things in the way are just rubbish and so there is little interest or concern for the flora and fauna that call this place home. In other words they/we simply don’t care.

Oh dear, I find myself in complete agreement with PermeateFree, that’s unexpected. I wouldn’t mind the destruction so much if something positive is the outcome, but the bulldozing and spraying I’m talking about here is not leading to new jobs or improved quality of life. On Nov 5 I found not even a single ant despite a full search. On the other hand, even a tiny piece of untouched ground can hold an enormous number of species.

I dropped off some specimens at the Melbourne Museum yesterday. That may have been a mistake.

Highlights of vertebrate species I’ve found so far (there have been so many weird invertebrates that … well …).

Birds I saw but never would have expected:
Clamorous Reed Warbler, Rail (Buff-banded or Lewins), Goldfinch

Birds I had hoped to see but not really expected to:
White-necked Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, Blue Wren (cyaneus), Pied Currawong.

Fish identified:
Silver Bream (is this out of normal range?), Western Carp Gudgeon, Flathead, Smooth Toadfish

I also saw one really weird vertebrate at the entrance to Melbourne General Cemetery, that dived into hiding in the flower bed. I at first took it to be a Noisy Miner but that couldn’t be it because it didn’t fly off when I was a few inches away. Then I thought it might be a rat, but rats come in black or brown and this was grey. It was too small for a rail. So? A complete mystery.

Any advice on photographing small wild fish? Please. eg. polarised light, fine fishing net.

>>Oh dear, I find myself in complete agreement with PermeateFree, that’s unexpected. I wouldn’t mind the destruction so much if something positive is the outcome, but the bulldozing and spraying I’m talking about here is not leading to new jobs or improved quality of life. On Nov 5 I found not even a single ant despite a full search. On the other hand, even a tiny piece of untouched ground can hold an enormous number of species.<<

Because you are actually getting into the subject matter and forming ideas and concepts based on real experience. I’m sure we shall be as one if you continue with your investigations. :)

PermeateFree said:

>>Oh dear, I find myself in complete agreement with PermeateFree, that’s unexpected. I wouldn’t mind the destruction so much if something positive is the outcome, but the bulldozing and spraying I’m talking about here is not leading to new jobs or improved quality of life. On Nov 5 I found not even a single ant despite a full search. On the other hand, even a tiny piece of untouched ground can hold an enormous number of species.<<

Because you are actually getting into the subject matter and forming ideas and concepts based on real experience. I’m sure we shall be as one if you continue with your investigations. :)

:-)